El-Sebsi welcomes Ennahda vote

Nidaa Tounes (Call for Tunis) party leader Beji Caid El-Sebsi said he welcomed the Ennahda movement’s voters if they wanted to vote for him in the next presidential elections.

During his appearance on the television programme “Shukran ala El-Hudoor” (Thanks for watching) on Tunisia’s Channel 1, El-Sebsi said: “The elections are not a precise science; they change based on social changes and the results.”

He also added that he welcomes everyone who wants to vote for his party in the presidential elections, including those from Ennahda, which is associated with the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia.

The secular party Nidaa Tounes is leading in the results of the legislative elections, ahead of Ennahda. It won 85 seats, compared to Ennahda’s 69.

Nidaa Tounes consists of figures from the left and centre-right, as well as icons from former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s former regime and his opposition. During his campaign, the party took a very critical tone on Islamists, describing them as “backwards”.